They met through Bumble, started talking on Thanksgiving, were engaged a year later, and tied the knot at a beautiful The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm wedding this past November. Gigi and Geoff’s wedding turned out to be one of our favorites from 2019 and one we’ve been excited to share with everyone. You may recognize them from their engagement shoot that we shared on the site last year. If you didn’t see it, check it out by clicking on the image below, you won’t regret it. It was when Sandi and I quickly realized just how special these two were and how perfect of a match we were for each other. I often speak at workshops and conferences about how to book your ideal clients that perfectly fit your brand. For us, this was that couple. Not only that but they put their full trust in us, let us be as creative as we wanted, and our work shows it. They let us get to know them as individuals and as a couple which only makes telling their story through our photography that much easier.
Shortly after booking, we started planning their engagement shoot. Not wanting a typical engagement shoot, Gigi wasn’t sure if she and Geoff were really even interested in one. I talked it over with her and explained why I felt that they should and how important it was for them, and us, for us to properly tell their wedding story. Their AirBnB engagement shoot, at the Paxson Hill Farm was what led us to write, 3 Big Reasons To Get Engagement Photos.
After talking them into an engagement shoot, Gigi emailed over a handful of AirBnB options and asked us to choose the one that we felt offered the most creative opportunities. They went with the one we chose, made a weekend out of it, and we drove up to New Hope, PA to hang out and capture some documentary-style engagement photos that also let them see what it felt like being in front of our cameras.
We immediately felt like old friends and had a great time photographing their engagement shoot. By the time that their The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm wedding rolled around, Sandi and knew enough about them to feel extremely comfortable telling their story.
Fast forward a little over 7 months and we were driving up to The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm, a venue we hadn’t shot at in the past, and one that we immediately fell in love with. Right in front of where we parked was a fenced-in pasture filled with ponies, cows, sheep, and goats. Having grown up on a farm until I moved out at the age of 18, I love getting to shoot at farms like this with animals (especially goats). It takes me back to when I was younger at a time when my Mom was the photographer and neither of us would have ever imagined that I would follow in her footsteps. One day I’ll own a farm with animals again, but until then, the nostalgia a venue like this brings will have to do.
Gigi and Geoff’s Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm wedding turned out to be one hell of a day filled with many unique elements that made it an extremely special day for us as photographers. I’ll be honest, we have had a lot of clients over the years tell us all about how they want to keep things untraditional as much as possible. In the end, their plans for a unique wedding turn out to be as traditional as a traditional wedding can be.
Gigi and Geoff, on the other hand, followed through with their promise. As artists, we couldn’t have asked for much more. Not only did Gigi personally design her wedding gown from scratch but she wore her grandmother’s hat throughout the day which gave her a very unique and absolutely stunning look. They had their ceremony right there on the farm but due to it being one of the coldest days in November it was moved inside.
The cold weather can tend to make things difficult as far as capturing documentary-style photos, especially if the bride isn’t a fan of cold weather. Gigi didn’t let it bother her in the slightest and we were able to capture everything we needed to properly tell their wedding story. At the end of the night when the temps had dropped, even more, I asked the two of them if they had any desire to head back outside to capture a few more shots. They didn’t hesitate and we headed out for a few night shots which turned out being some of our favorite shots from the day. I was freezing in my North Face coat with gloves on yet Gigi and Geoff took a solid 10 minutes or so to enjoy the moment just before their big day officially came to a close.
If you’ve made it this far in the blog, please do us a favor and read the review below that Gigi and Geoff wrote for us. It’s very easy for wedding photographers to rave about how great every single wedding is that they shot, but it’s rare to see the clients’ perspective being shared. This review couldn’t have made us happier as we read through it for the first time and it meant the world to us. We really feel that it makes for a perfect ending to this story.
We wish Gigi and Geoff nothing but the best and couldn’t be more grateful that they chose us to document their big day. It’s a wedding that Sandi and I are extremely proud of and look forward to showing other potential clients. They put their trust in us and just as with any wedding, we put a ton of pressure on ourselves to deliver our best work. We thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your appreciation for our artistic style of photography. Thank you for everything, enjoy!
If you don’t want to read my whole spiel then you can stop after this sentence knowing that if you’re considering using Twisted Oaks you need to stop considering and pull the trigger. This studio is amazing. I worked with Jay and Sandi (the owners) for my own wedding, but I have seen their associates work as well and they are just as incredible. Jay goes above and beyond. He truly loves the art of photography and that passion clearly translates into the finished product. I am certain that he has chosen and trained associates that do the same. What you get from this studio is not only incredible imagery that captures the day but and extremely professional and laid back experience that allows you to have one less thing to stress about on your big day. It was freezing the day of our wedding, but knowing how important it was to me to have outside shots, Jay froze his a** off setting up the perfect shots for me to run out and quickly get a great shot with the perfect backdrop. In addition to their artistry, Jay and Sandi know how to make the photo taking process as painless as possible. My husband hates taking photos, yet was blown away by how much fun he actually had during our engagement and wedding sessions. What can else can I say, I love Twisted Oaks and ca not wait to work with them again in the future.
Jay Cassario